Payback
by LivMore
Summary: Barry has unfortunate encounters with some people from his past looking for payback. Hence the slushies. Rating has gone up to T for slight language.
1. Chapter 1

**We'll see where this goes I guess! I don't have any huge plans yet. R&amp;R what you think!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or Flash**

* * *

Barry shuffled his feet next to Iris. Two hours into her yearly "Spring Closet Cleaning" and his feet were killing. He enjoyed spending time with Iris—he really did, but he had a late night at S.T.A.R. Labs. Barry put up with it, though, because he hadn't been able to hang out with her like they used to before Eddie pushed his way into their duo. He felt a little guilty thinking that because he had no right to say Eddie was even intruding on anything.

Lost in his thoughts, Barry looked up to see Iris waving at him a couple paces ahead. He jogged a bit to catch up before he saw where she was leading him. Barry followed Iris into the candle store happily. They'd always had this rule that the candle store was the last stop before they paid a visit to the greasy food in the mall cafeteria. No matter how many times they promised to only smell the weird leafy scents, they always ended up here: digging into the backs of the shelves to find the candles that smelt like cookie dough and apple pie. Barry and Iris inhaled deeply as if trying to hold in the last of the scent before they walked to the food court.

Iris glanced at him before fixating on the walls of food. The court was entirely enclosed by different fast food restaurants (and that one overpriced coffee shop that never seemed to go out of business).

Barry thought she might start drooling all over her new clothes, so he interrupted her thoughts. "What should we go for today?" He pulled out his wallet and carded through his bills. "I think I've even got enough for two at the Italian To-Go-Pizza," Barry said thoughtfully.

"You know I never let you pay anyway." Iris rolled her eyes. Childishly, Barry only stuck out his tongue in response. She took a second look-around and landed her eyes on the Chinese take-out. She raised her eyebrows in question towards Barry, knowing he saw her practically whimper at the sight of Chinese food.

"Seriously?" He asked exasperatedly. "I'm pretty sure you brought me this food last week when I called in sick." She tried to purse her lips in an attempts to contain herself, but the snort that left her nose broke the facade.

"Fine, you caught me," Iris laughed. "But it's still good, so I'm choosing there!"

* * *

Barry wasn't sure how it happened, but all of a sudden Iris was hissing vehement words at him. He thought it could have started when the cashier mentioned the robbery that he—the Flash, that is—was present for. Of course it could have started when she started talking about her blog again. It shouldn't have been an issue, but Barry wanted to spend their day together talking about normal things. Like...the weather! He heard that was a good conversation to have. But no, Barry had somehow turned into the sounding board for her crazier-than-usual Streak theories.

He was doing good so far. He even had a system. If her eyes were glinting madly, Barry leaned back, forced his face to be pensive, and nodded slowly as if her logic made complete sense. Of course, if she got too close to being correct about anything he would laugh and suggest something farther off from the mark.

Then he heard it. There was some mumbling behind him several feet, but he swore he had heard someone say "Sebastian."

Iris started talking again, but he hushed her immediately. "Excuse me?" Iris growled. Barry flinched, but he attempted to hone his hearing into whoever was behind him again. She didn't pay him any attention and continued, "Barry Allen. Don't you dare tell me that we are going to fight about the Streak again. Am I boring you so much that you can't even stand to hear me talk?" Iris' voice shook with anger.

"Just be quiet for a minute," Barry muttered dismissively.

This time he was _positive _that someone said his old nickname. He turned to look for the culprit, and he got a cold wash of sticky liquid down his face. He could feel ice chunks sliding down his shirt, and his hair was dripping onto his hands.

He wiped two huge globs of stickiness off his eyes clearing his vision. Looking at his hands, he saw red. Literally. _Great_, Barry thought. _Huge red stains will be so much fun to get out._

Barry looked up to try to find the idiot that tripped into him.

Instead his eyes caught sight of a familiar Latina.

She smirked. "Hey, Twink."


	2. Chapter 2

**And Chapter 2! I **_**still **_**don't really know what I'm doing… If you find any (including the smallest of spelling mistakes) PM me or review, so I can fix and reupload the chapter. Please tell me what you think!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own **_**Glee **_**or **_**The Flash**_

* * *

"Oh my God, Barry! Here, have my napkins. We'll have to go home now. You can't walk around looking like that. Aren't you at least going to apologize? Accidents happen, but…" Iris trailed off when she saw that Barry was still staring wide-eyed at the girl. He tried to subtly look for an escape plan but couldn't imagine leaving Iris at the hands of the Latina. "Barry, are you okay?" Iris broke his train of thought.

"Wha—oh, yeah. Fine," he stuttered. "We should go, right? We've been shopping for hours, and you definitely have enough clothes. I've got to change anyway," he rambled with a fake smile plastered on his face. He stood up and attempted to slide past the girl while avoiding her eyes.

"I don't think so. Santana Lopez. Barry, is it?" The girl grabbed the front of his jacket, stopping Barry from leaving.

"Barry. Allen," he said, praying that she would go along with it.

She smirked. Santana had him cornered, and she knew it. "Don't you remember me, Barry? I didn't spend all that time picking fights with you—plus waste an overpriced slushie—if I thought you would forget me at the first opportunity you got, Barry." It was a subtle and effective nod to his morally questionable past. Santana smirked in regard to Barry's discomfort. His clammy hands clenched involuntarily, creating crescent moon dents in his palm.

Iris pointed between the two people that were having a deathly stare-off. Abandoned from the conversation, she asked, "Wait...you know her?" Barry and Santana paid her no mind.

"You must have me confused with someone else," he tried to dismiss nonchalantly. He grabbed Iris's hand from the now sticky mess of red napkins on the table, and he went to ease out of Santana's grasp. Barry took one squeaky step, his Converses sliding against the ceramic tile floor; however, he could clearly hear the mirth in her voice after he turned himself and Iris towards the exit.

"So you're into ladies now?" Barry froze mid-step, and Santana continued relentlessly. "Last I remember, you were definitely quee—"

"Stop!" He whipped around to face Santana, and Iris gaped at his change in demeanor. Barry huffed in annoyance. "Fine, I admit it! How could I hope to forget a personality like that?" He relaxed into the role that Santana clearly recognized. "It's _lovely_ to see your gorgeous face again, Lima Heights. I should also admit that I'm surprised to see you here and not plastered all over the news for a federal offense. How would you have it? Premeditated murder? Public indecency?" He chuckled before adding, "Arson of McKinley High?"

If Santana glanced at Iris, it went unnoticed by Barry. Iris, on the other hand, vied for his attention by tugging on their intertwined hands. Her mouth hung open, and her eyebrows pulled together as she studied the alias in front of her. This one was the complete opposite of her laughably nerdy brother. Sure, Barry was prone to quick-witted sarcasm, but never before had he blatantly meant to cripple someone with it. He certainly wasn't pulling any punches…

"Is your self-esteem is so low that you need me to tell you that I remember you? So that you feel better? Then, yes, I remember you, Sha-Queer-A." Barry eyed her condescendingly. "Now could you, please, stop bothering me and my _sister_?"

"Barry!" Iris yelled at him. He, having forgotten that she was beside him, jumped at the shriek in his ear. Iris yanked her hand out of his tight grasp and crossed her arms, taking a step away.

Santana, who was shockingly unphased by the taunts, smirked in triumph at Barry. "Sister, huh? For a second there I almost thought you grew some balls and got yourself a girlfriend," she laughed. "Wouldn't that be a change of pace?"

Barry ducked his head in a vain attempt to hide the growing heat in his face. No one can hide a weakness from Santana, though, and she said, "Oh! Ew, your own si—"

"Shut up," Barry muttered. "We're leaving."

"Do you have to go so soon?" Santana sneered. "Before I forget, make sure you wash that prep school cardigan really well. I added a little something special from Auntie Snix. I'd hate for you to be uncomfortable."

As Barry spun on his heel, Santana caught his eye and winked. He determinedly walked away, hoping Iris followed. Santana's jeering voice hammered into his head, "See you around! And watch your back, meerkat!"

* * *

Weaving through the rows of cars in the parking lot, Iris scurried to keep up with Barry's fast pace.

"Would you…," Iris began, but she realized that Barry was solely focused on dodging the my rear-view mirrors. She gave up and shouted, "Slow. Down!"

He smiled sheepishly at her and slowed to a brisk walk rather than nearly jogging. "Sorry. I forgot you're shorter than me," he teased, trying to lighten the mood. Iris could only think about how harsh Barry had been while he talked to the girl in the mall, and, suddenly, his teasing words seemed a lot more biting.

"You need to stop," she ordered. She ground to a full stop to the relief of her heels and waited for him to notice (which was another full car's length away from her). When he finally looked her in the eye, she sighed. "Talk to me, Barry. What is going on with you?"

"It's nothing. I'm fine," he replied shortly.

"I'm not an idiot! I've known you forever, and not once have you acted as rudely as you did to that girl."

"Santana's a demon," he said matter-of-factly.

The lack of hesitance surprised Iris. Barry was never one to judge someone so harshly. "Well, you were, too. Where do you know her from? Is she some sort of secret ex or something?"

Even though Iris was being innocently curious, Barry snorted. "Ha! Not in this lifetime! You know I tell you everything, Iris," he explained. He looked at her searchingly, and she watched his stoicism crumple in defeat. Groaning, he rubbed his hands over his face. "If you really want to know, I know Santana from high school." Barry peeked through his fingers to see how Iris reacted.

"I thought you went to an all-boys school," she wondered.

"That doesn't mean I didn't see anyone else. Jeez, it's not like I lived under a rock or something, Iris," he laughed. "She went to a rival school."

Iris's eyes widened in understanding. "So that _was _just friendly bantering!"

Barry threw his hands in the air and started walking away. "Whatever. Just you wait, Iris. Santana will be back by the end of the week. This is going to be hell," he said to himself.


	3. Chapter 3

**Bet you thought you'd seen the last of me! So… if you haven't caught on by now, I don't update on any schedule. Also, I **_**still**_** have no definitive plan. So just hang with me maybe ;) Review what you think!**

**This is sort of an AU in that it doesn't fall in any particular place during season 1 besides Eddie knows Barry's secret but Iris doesn't. Also, what happens in this story won't necessarily relate exactly to what happens in the succeeding episodes of **_**The Flash**_**.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Glee **_**or **_**The Flash**_

* * *

Back at Joe's place after dropping Iris at Eddie's, Barry switched out the drenched meerkat look for something a little more presentable. Of course it had to be red! Everyone knew that was equal to ruined clothes. Frustrated, he threw the stained clothes (even his socks) into the washer because he knew he would have a hard time explaining wasting clothes without trying to get the stains out first. He was sure the She-Devil put road salt in the slushie as a blast from the past. Without time to take a shower—just because he was fast didn't mean that he would give up precious relaxing time—Barry had to run a wet towel over his hair in a vain attempt to clean the mess.

Barry knew that Iris would only have more questions for him at that point, he took a cab to the next place that he could be in the company of friends: S.T.A.R. Labs. The cab ride helped him concentrate on his thoughts rather than just grumbling under his breath.

_Why was Santana even in Central City? _Barry couldn't help but think. _I just got being the Flash under control, I don't want any more trouble. It's not like I advertised where I went after Dalton. _Barry was just as confused by Santana's arrival in his hometown as he was nervous about having another secret from Iris. He could never have imagined keeping all these things about his life away from Iris when he was a kid.

Putting the thoughts on the sideline for the moment, Barry paid and tipped the cab driver before hurrying inside S.T.A.R. Labs. He smiled as he neared Caitlin and Cisco. He could already hear them bickering like five-year-olds. Part of their charm, he guessed.

"Cisco, I'm trying to work!" Caitlin's voice echoed.

"What are you even doing? We haven't even seen a metahuman in a week," Cisco's voice replied. There was a brief silence before he exclaimed, "Oh, crap! I jinxed it, didn't I?"

Barry walked into the lab in time to see Caitlin sigh and roll her eyes hard enough to give _Barry _a headache. Cisco continued rambling to himself about his superstitions.

Barry coughed into his hand signalling his presence to his friends.

"Barry!" Caitlin shouted, looking up from her non-work. "I didn't think you were coming in today." She approached Barry with a syringe clenched in her fist.

He looked warily at her predatory stance and took a discreet step backwards. Her eyes widened, and she smiled sheepishly at Barry before carefully placing the needle on her desk. Caitlin continued, "Sorry, Cisco was being frustrating. _Again_." She ended with a pointed glare in the engineer's general direction making him put his hands up in surrender. However, there was an undisguised smile. No one crossed Dr. Snow in the lab. No. One.

Barry huffed out a laugh, but it definitely caught Cisco's and Caitlin's attentions. Their lips drew into flat lines, and they looked at Barry with concern. He could always be counted on to laugh unashamedly in S.T.A.R. Labs alongside Cisco.

"What's up?" Cisco asked in a rare show of sympathy.

"Nothing!"

"Barry." Caitlin levelled a piercing stare at Barry. Does she know how to look into souls? Barry certainly wouldn't know the difference. He tried to withhold his own, but his perseverance cracked.

He threw his hands into the air in defeat. "Fine! It's just been a crappy day, you know? High school sucked..." He ended by trailing off into an internal monologue.

"Yo, yo, hold up!" Cisco shouted. "High school? I thought we already took care of your bully? Tony Woodward is sitting in our prison 'cause of that dope super sonic punch. Unless he got out. Oh my God, he got out! Why didn't you tell us as soon as you saw him? Barry, this is serious!" He began to run around gathering tools from the scattered remains of his latest project. "No one gets out of _my _prison!"

"What are you talking about? I didn't see Woodward," Barry said, confused. He really didn't want to nab Tony again. Once was enough, thank you.

"Well then what's this about?" Cisco explained, disgruntled. "I thought we agreed that it was my turn next. I should have the next five turns at least." He sounded like a petulant child.

"Cisco!" Caitlin crossed her arms, channeling a disappointed mother perfectly. "Now tell us what's wrong, Barry. You look upset."

Barry ran a hand down his face. "I just saw someone that I didn't ever want to see again. God, I thought I'd never have to talk to her again." He sighed wearily.

"Ooooh, a girl!" Cisco winked at him.

"Yes, a girl. We dated until I decided that she was far too lesbian for us to go anywhere," Barry deadpanned.

There was a tense moment of silence in which Cisco and Caitlin gawped at his blunt manner. Cisco hesitantly approached Barry, scrutinizing his face. "Was that sarcasm? I can't really tell…"

"Yes," Barry responded testily. "She's a complete b—"

"Hey!" Caitlin interrupted, obviously scandalized at his flagrant swearing. "What's gotten into you?"

Barry took a minute to compose himself and became aware of how rash he was being. His friends looked uncomfortable by his new attitude, shuffling from one foot to the other and tapping out a random beat on the cool metal table.

_It's not like they have much to base their preconceptions of me on, _Barry thought. _It shouldn't hurt to tell them, should it?_

He took the plunge and began, "I'm not exactly the same person as I was in high school."

"Obviously," Caitlin scoffed, relaxing minutely. "It'd be ridiculous if we didn't change at all."

"Yeah, you should've seen my glasses in high school."

"That's...not what I meant." Barry hesitated before plowing forward. "I—"

"Mr. Allen. What brings you here on your day off?" Dr. Wells rolled in with the most (or least, depending on one's perception) perfect timing.

"Seriously," Barry hissed frustratedly to himself. He spoke up, masking his irritation, "Just talking to Dr. Snow and Cisco before I head home for the night. Unless you need me?"

"No, no. That's not necessary," Wells dismissed the offer without so much as a glance, already pushing his chair to the computers.

"Bye, guys. See you later," Barry bid farewell and turned down the hallway even though it was only three in the afternoon. It seemed like he would be waiting alone for Joe again. He was used to it from living alone for several years though.

* * *

The bitter scent of coffee wafted through the crack of the door as she pulled it open. It had been far too long without the drink for her to be functioning properly. There's a difference between being intentionally harsh and just being pissy.

She strutted (hey, you never knew who could be watching) to the front counter. Jitters wasn't as quiet or small-towny as The Lima Bean, but the atmosphere was soothing all the same. There was a worker behind the counter, but she was too entranced by the task in front of her to notice Santana's arrival. Santana admired her long hair, but immediately went on the defense when she turned around. That was the girl with Sebastian earlier.

The worker smiled sincerely when she caught sight of Santana, making the Latina even more suspicious. "Hi! You're Barry's friend from high school, right? I'm Iris West," she introduced herself.

"Hi."

"Sorry, I don't remember what your name is," Iris apologized.

Santana smirked. If Sebastian didn't want to talk to her, then she might as well force him to. "I'm sure whatever he came up with was very creative. Santana Lopez." She extended a hand across the counter for Iris to shake. Iris appeared entirely innocent; it was almost too easy. After a moment of thought, Santana recalled what the girl called herself. Confused, she asked, "Wait, West?"

"Yes, my dad is a detective in Central," Iris said, obviously used to the question.

"What? No, I mean, Se-Barry has a different last name," Santana restated hoping Iris didn't notice the slip of her tongue.

"Oh! We're not actually siblings. He's my foster brother," clarified Iris. Misreading Santana's stunned expression, she hurried to rectify Barry's cards-close-to-his-chest lifestyle. "It's not your fault! Barry just doesn't tell that many people. I probably shouldn't have mentioned it."

"It's fine. Just didn't expect that." Santana studied this Iris girl. Sebastian's _foster _sister?

Iris noticed the line growing behind Santana. Time for the after work pick-me-up. "I should get to work. Maybe you could come over for dinner with us tomorrow night?" Iris' eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"That'd be great! I'd love to catch up with Barry," Santana agreed, showing her best behavior.

"If it's alright, it'd probably be me and my dad and my boyfriend." Santana shrugged indifferently. Iris started scribbling an address on a Jitters napkin. "Here. Food will be ready around six thirty."

Santana thanked her and left in a daze, completely forgetting to order a coffee. That had been much easier than expected when she first decided to harass Sebastian, but Santana's isn't an idiot. She wouldn't throw away an opportunity like this. She smirked as she walked to the curb to flag down a cab.


End file.
